What do you guys think about the game?

[GothicGothicness]

I am woundering whatever I should buy it or not. I respect you guys opinion much more than the review sites, we know RPG's better than thoser reviewers do.. strong and weak points??

how is the story? combat?

etc etc. I didn't see so much about it here! except the spoiler thread no spoilers please!!!

[Melvil]

Game is wonderful, many choices, enjoyable combat, pretty graphics, choices have consequences, dialogue is well written even if our english translation was cut (some have reported that). Get the UK version if you want it uncensored. This game hooked me the way all the Gothic games did, so judging by your name, you may enjoy the immersion this game offers. And that's not to say Gothic and TW are very alike, other than fantasy theme, just both draw you in well.

[zakhal]

Its not just a good game - its specially good game.

[magerette]

I think time will put this game up there with the best cRPGs of the past, Gothicgothicness. It isn't an actiony clickfest, it isn't buggy, it's not a sandbox where your character can do or be anything even if it doesn't make sense. It follows the traditions of old school rpgs like story and dialogue without having the feel of something that's already been done before. Combat requires a brain. Geralt is one of the most real pregenerated characters I've played, with a distinct personality and history, but because of the way the skills are implemented, he can be played in a personalized style. It draws you in like Gothic, and there's even a bit of the feel of that game when you're running across the countryside, but it's just a flavor, not a copy. As I said in another thread, I think if you enjoyed Gothic( or Bioware or Black Isle games), then you would enjoy The Witcher. :)

[Dagar]

I'm luke-warm on this game so far.

I've played a bit into chapter one and every fight I have done so far is scripted with a forced cut scene to set it up. Hopefully it gets better as I put more time into it.

One thing though - the loading times are a real nuisance. It really kills the immersion of the game. It's horrible when you want to enter abandon huts, buildings, etc that are close together. Most of your time is spent looking at the loading/saving screen. Maybe a future patch will fix this.

Also there is not total freedom when exploring the land. You are always barricaded off and have to follow a certain path to get to the area you want to go.

[HiddenX]

Best story telling adventure since Gothic 1 and Planescape Torment. The german translation is excellent.

+great story and characters
+(difficult) choices & consequences everywhere -> high replay factor
+much interesting dialog
+good action combat
+long cutscenes
+cool alchemy system
+many unique items/weapons
+weapon upgrades possiple
+exploring to the last inch of the gameworld is rewarding
+interesting minigames - boxing, Poker and seducing young maidens
+reading books is essential
+the game often feels like the old sagas and legends
+the game is not for kiddies, I would recommend it for 16 and older
+good working shop / money / business model
...

in other words:
the creators of this game must have read my game features wish list :)

[mute]

Dagar, i felt the same in chapter one. The game world was very restricted. But once you enter the town, that feeling goes away. The fights also improves. The small space, fenced in (only the path) isn't there when you enter the swamp.

I think Chapter one is a slow one. Like Gothic 2. :)

And also - i insisted to play this game in strategic view during the bigger part of chapter one. Big misstake. This game ought to be played gothic style (OTS). Much more exiting!

To gothicgothicness, my decision buying this game was made reading Prime Junta och Maylanders praise in conjunction with this livly forum. You owe it to your self to play it! :)

[Dez]

btw speaking of minigames..dice poker can cause some serious addiction. Only problem is that only few npcs are willing to play with really high stakes (150 or something like that is the highest I've seen so far). I'd love to play even with higher stakes =)

[elkston]

I am in chapter 2 now and can definitely recommend this game. But I want to repeat again the loading times are really sucking the enjoyment away for me. I love the city -- the really nailed the atmosphere and it seems alive. But I find myself trying to "optimize" my exploring so that I spend as little time as possible going between interiors and loading areas. I really want to be able to just pop in all those houses and check them out, but instead I am thinking -- "is that house necessary for the plot ?".

There is just too much time spent "away" from the game looking at red progress bars!

P.S. -- and if I hear one response about how someone is happy they got their RAID-x 10,000 RPM hard drive I am going to go crazy!!!!! :) : ) :)

P.S. - Yeah Dez, playing Dice POKER is Fun! I like how they restrict the number of matches you can play in a day. Also, the search for that "big game" where you can bet high stakes makes you eager to explore and talk to new people.

[mute]

I just would like to disable the autosave feature. If it wasn't in place then the loading times would be acceptable.

No, no 10000 rpm around here... :)

[stealth]

I think HiddenX's list above sums it up pretty well. This game is fantastic. It has a lot of the same feel as Gothic 1-2 (perhaps 3, waiting 6 months for a patch that never came kinda ruined that game for me) but still manages to stand on its own.

So far I can only think of two things that is a little annoying. The inventory quickly gets cluttered and is difficult to make out individual items.
NPC's are completely ignorant to you going into there houses graping anything there isn't nailed tight. A behavior similar to Gothic NPC's would have been nice.

[Jabberwocky]

So far I can only think of two things that is a little annoying. The inventory quickly gets cluttered and is difficult to make out individual items.
NPC's are completely ignorant to you going into there houses graping anything there isn't nailed tight. A behavior similar to Gothic NPC's would have been nice.

I absolutely agree with you, and those were going to be my negative comments as well. My problem with the inventory is simply that the icons are too small. I don't know if game resolution has anything to do with it though - I'm playing on 1440 X 900.

I'm also not completely sold on the combat. I've been having some trouble getting used to it, since I am accustomed to full control of every move, and can't stand turn-based combat. The Witcher lies somewhere in between the two.

Nevertheless, this game is just stunning to behold. I'm running on max settings and getting 40+ framerates at least. I would consider my system average, with a very nice video card.

This game is definitely RPG of the year in my book, and imho you can't call yourself a genuine RPGer if you don't give it a try. :)

[Prime Junta]

P.S. - Yeah Dez, playing Dice POKER is Fun! I like how they restrict the number of matches you can play in a day. Also, the search for that "big game" where you can bet high stakes makes you eager to explore and talk to new people.

I played that big game. Won. Am now worth over 10,000 orens.

Trouble is, it left me with a vague feeling that that might have been one game where losing would have been the winning strategy...

[Crolug]

I am woundering whatever I should buy it or not. I respect you guys opinion much more than the review sites, we know RPG's better than thoser reviewers do.. strong and weak points??

how is the story? combat?

etc etc. I didn't see so much about it here! except the spoiler thread no spoilers please!!!

You haven't bought it yet??!! ;)

I assure you, this is NOT Borelivion at all. Just run to nearest store, buy the game and enjoy your time in Timeria :).

As for loading times - turning off autosave is announced to be implemented in the next patch by the Devs, along with tweaks to caching system, making it all together much faster than it is now.

And yes, my RAID 0 matrix makes me a happy man, loading screens are not an issue for me at all :P

[JonNik]

Yep seems this game needs a Raid 0 (I have 2 xWD raptors) more than it needs
a good GFX card (loading is a non issue for me too). The frequency of the loading
screens is a bit high but I can forgive this and other problems compared to the
absolutely beautifull looks, excellent atmosphere, story depth and overall quality
this game has going for it.

Haven't enjoyed a game like this since Gothic 1...

[magerette]

Good news about tweaks to cache and a toggle for the autosave option forthcoming, Crolug.

While I don't have any RAID capabalities, I have a relatively fast processor and bus, and a fast card, and the loads are only a minor annoyance--otoh, I'm used to TB strat, where you have to sit and wait while 5 AI opponents take their turns, so my vision could be a bit skewed. :)


(These are my PC specs (http://www.rpgwatch.com/forums/member.php?u=51) (scroll down)

[GothicGothicness]

Wow, that is a stunning collection of positive posts, definetely going to buy it now!

Thanks guys! oo, BTW is there any demo?

[KazikluBey]

Thanks guys! oo, BTW is there any demo?
Don't think so.

[Crolug]

Wow, that is a stunning collection of positive posts, definetely going to buy it now!

Also remember that with one of the nearest patches CD Projekt will be releasing the toolset and we all know what that means... Hours and hours of additional fun, 'home-made' mods that will amaze even the developers, etc. :)

As for me, because of lack of free time, I'm still in Act III, but already now can't wait to finish the game and start it over and choose another path. So yeah, it's a nice game indeed ;).

[Maylander]

My personal opinion is that it's a solid game, but I still wouldn't start comparing it to PS:T, BG2, Gothic 2: Notr and so on. The select few I place in that league are on their own, and have virtually nothing that annoys me.

In the Witcher I find the combat fun at first, but slightly tedious over time. Preferred style doesn't mean a whole lot in most cases - certain situations can only be solved with group combat, certain with strong combat, and some with fast combat. You need to use the right sword and style in most battles, because any other combo is useless (for example trying to hit an agile creature with strong attack, or a heavily armored opponent with fast attacks).

Also, as mentioned before, the loading times makes me ask myself "Is going into this house needed? Can I skip it?". This is a bit of a kick on the crotch in a game where I really want to explore as much as possible.

Still, I feel it is one of the best RPGs in years (with only G2: Notr above, and NWN2 in the same league), so well worth playing for any RPG fan.

[Crolug]

*cough*play on hard*cough*

[ironanno]

In the Witcher I find the combat fun at first, but slightly tedious over time. Preferred style doesn't mean a whole lot in most cases - certain situations can only be solved with group combat, certain with strong combat, and some with fast combat. You need to use the right sword and style in most battles, because any other combo is useless (for example trying to hit an agile creature with strong attack, or a heavily armored opponent with fast attacks).

I'm not bored of the fighting yet. I play on hard and I think I've nailed how you do well in combat. Alchemy is the answer. If you quaff enough potions any fight turns rather easy. There is only one enemy I've had big trouble beating, I usually just run away from them. The boss fights and big groups of enemies also lift up the difficulty. I'm in chapter 3 at the moment so that might change.
It's true what you say about the combat styles. If you use strong style onto a fast opponent it won't work. You can't really afford to have a chosen combat style. Adds some tactics to the game. I like finding out everything I can about monsters, so most of my money goes into buying books about them.

[Jabberwocky]

I personally find the varied combat styles to be the more appealing aspect of combat. It is much more realistc that way, and who wants to play the same fight routine every time anyway?

[Prime Junta]

I'm in Act 3 too, and there's a bit where the difficulty level drops a great deal... before it ramps up again. I've done a couple of climactic fights by now, and it seems there's one more coming up, and they haven't been easy -- I've been seeing red spots on more than one occasion. I even got killed once. I'd imagine that there would have been a fair bit of save-and-reload on Hard.

That is, those were some very good fights, with a real sense of achievement once that spiky horror was crumpled up in a heap on the floor. :)

[Maylander]

I wasn't really talking about difficulty (or lack of), I was simply talking about everything being predefined - the big puzzle here is just to figure out what style to use on what enemies, and it's nailed. The next time you go through the game, no matter how you place your talents, you'll still end up using the exact same styles on the exact same monsters. That becomes tedious.

Leaves the player with very little choice. You can't become an incredibly strong, slow/hard hitting warrior relying heavily on strength, or an agile swordmaster using speed to dispose of his foes. You use strength against heavy opponents, and speed against dodging ones. Geralt is always everything at once, and you always have to use the fighting style that is designed to kill monster X, not whatever style you actually prefer.

At least, that's my perspective. If you're really stubborn, I supposse you can use fast fighting on everything, but you'd have a really hard time against some of the heavier opponents. Likewise, if you rely mainly on strength, it's virtually impossible to beat the dodging ones (can't hit them).

[Prime Junta]

You have a point, but I don't quuuiiite agree. I've been relying more on Signs lately, and it gives the combat a quite a different feel: if I had weighted them more earlier on, I would have used different potions (=more Tawny Owl, less Swallow), and my tactic would have been to get through a stun and then a finishing move, rather than go with brilliant fencing all the way.

Similarly, if you weight alchemy at the expense of fencing, you can improve your odds by always having the right buffs on your swords and the right potions in your bloodstream.

IOW, you do have a significant amount of choice -- you can go all-out for swordsmanship, all-out for alchemy and signs with swordsmanship doing the finishing moves, or become an all-rounder.